Redbridge Council is 82 years behind government housing targets, according to a housing provider.

Only three London boroughs are keeping up with their building requirements, but Redbridge is by far the worst – with the next closest being Enfield Council which is 45 years behind.

Housing provider Project Etopia announced the figures this week.

They show London councils are on average 19 years behind the housing targets set by the government’s Ministry of Housing 10-year plan, ending in 2026, published in September 2017.

Overall, the capital is projected to have fallen short of building 429,973 much needed homes over the next decade.

Project Etopia estimates it would take all London councils until between 2050 and 2108 to build all the required homes.

Redbridge could be 26,196 homes behind building schedules by 2026, and could take 82 years in total to hit required targets, the group has estimated.

Croydon and Hillingdon councils are the only two local authorities in London currently building more than required levels of housing.

Councils have been prevented from building houses themselves by government restrictions and lack of funding for a number of years, leaving developers which can experiencing economic and planning difficulties as the driving force of building work.

Last month, Prime Minister Theresa May finally lifted restrictions on the amount of money local councils can borrow to build housing in their boroughs in an attempt to get local authorities building again.

Exactly how that change will impact Redbridge is not yet clear as more detail on funding and borrowing processes is yet to be released.

Joseph Daniels, CEO of Project Etopia, said: “It is frightening that so many boroughs are already 19 years behind where they need to be.

“If the pace is not rapidly picked up, we will be in an even deeper black hole in 10 years’ time than we are in now.

“The housing need is plain for all to see, but not enough is being done about it. There is an air of complacency, everyone knows we need to build more houses and fast, but not enough decisive action is being taken to ease the crisis.”

The CEO added there is a need for new ideas and forward thinking from councils to build houses quickly, economically and ensure a decent quality of life for those moving into the new homes.

He suggested the modular housing model, a way of building multiple, prefabricated homes quickly, could be a way for councils to overcome the barriers to building.

Redbridge Council and its cabinet member for housing, Cllr Farah Hussain, did not respond to a request for comment.